1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluid reforming device for reforming, as well as tap water, various kinds of fluids (e.g., gray water, sewage water and the like) including heavily contaminated water containing electrolyte substances and organic substances as impurities (e.g., seawater containing water creatures which is used as ballast water for ships; washing water containing bacteria which has been used for washing seafood such as clams; and discharged water containing fats and organic substances included in milk given to calves in farms). More specifically, the invention relates to a fluid reforming device for reforming: tap water such as air-conditioner cooling water (including warm water) circulated in factories; water supplied to boilers, industrial water supplied to factories; drinking water; water used for humidifying room, and the like; gray water (water for flush toilets; renovated industrial waste water; rainwater, and the like); and sewage water such as industrial waste water, river water, and the like; and moreover, bath water of hot springs or 24-hour baths; well water; hard water; soft water; seawater containing sewage which is circulated to be used for aquaculture; and oils to be used repeatedly.
2. Description of Related Art
Cooling water for air conditioners in factories, which is an example of fluids to be reformed, is used in circulation, and dust, dirt, and the like enter the cooling water while it is circulated. Although insoluble dust and dirt are filtered and removed by a filter or the like during circulation, water-soluble substances in the dust or dirt are dissolved into the circulating water. Particularly, substances such as Ca and Mg are oxidized over time, and deposited and accumulated as scales in pipes, which causes clogging of equipment such as pipes and pumps. Further, various kinds of germs (e.g., Escherichia coli, Legionella, and respiratory bacteria that cause pneumonia or bronchitis) also grow in the circulating water. These germs are blown out from an air outlet into room, and cause diseases (diarrhea, stomach ache, and pneumonia). On the other hand, there are problems such as marine pollution caused by ballast water, pollution caused by washing water for seafood, and pollution caused by washing water containing fats and organic substances. The ballast water is seawater used as ballast far ships. Before a ship leaves a port empty; ballast tanks of the ship are filled with seawater at the port. When the ship is loaded with goods at a port of call, an equivalent amount of ballast water is discharged from the ship. The discharged seawater contains sea creatures from the port at which the ship left. Thus, the sea creatures are scattered as invasive species into the sea at the port of call, and adversely affect the ecosystem at the port of call.
Likewise, 24-hour baths or urban hot springs use circulated tap water or hot spring water, respectively, and the water quality is rapidly degraded due to propagation of: minerals that are originally contained in the water (particularly in the hot spring water); electrolytic substances (metal ion such as Na) or organic substances contained in sweat of bathing persons; falling bacteria; and germs discharged from the bathing persons. Likewise, the quality of seawater, which is circulated and used for aquaculture, is also gradually degraded due to wastes of fish kept in a tank, propagating germs, and mixed impurities, which causes a reduction in survival rate of cultured fish.
Reforming of industrial waste water or bath water of a large communal bath has conventionally been performed by adding chemicals (strong disinfectants (oxidizer) such as hypochlorous acid and potassium permanganate) or by using a large-scale aerator. However, these reforming ways have problems such as high cost and need for a large space, and therefore, are not convenient. In particular, it is impossible to add a strong disinfectant (oxidizer) or the like into water circulating in a large bath of an urban hot spring, or water in a home-use 24-hour bath, and it is difficult to introduce a large-scale treatment facility.
A fluid reforming device used for the above-described purposes instead of the large-scale treatment facility has been disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Nos. 2623204, 2611080, and 2615308. This device is applicable to the urban hot spring and the home-use 24-hour bath. In the treatment performed by this device, some of the organic compounds in the water are evaporated while the other are deposited, and the supernatant water becomes sterilized clean water, which is verified to be reusable.